Railway system



1930. F. LAWACZECK 1,773,047

RAILWAY SYSTEM Filed Dec. 1927 3 0712ve12f0r (7% man? Patented Aug. 12, 1930 UNITED STATES FRANZ'LAWACZECK, OF MUNICH, GERMANY RAILWAY SYSTEM Application filed December 8, 1927, Serial No. 238,688, and in Germany December 7, 1926.

My invention refers to the operation of railway locomotives and has for its particular object to provide means whereby locomotion can be operated in a particularly ecojfl nomical manner.

This application is a division in part of my prior application Serial No. 175,855, filed March 16, 1927. Application for foreign patent was made in Germany on December 7,

As is well known to those skilled in the art, the endeavours to simplify the electrical operation of railways and to thereby reduce the cost are restricted by economic considerations.

The variations in railway trafiic, which can never be calculated beforehand, require very high reserves in the power plant, and other influences, such as the weather, which are also subjected to great variations, require the reserve of power to be increased further, so that the entire power plant available for the operation of a railway line must be adapted to the highest quantity of energy which may be re uired at any moment. The result is that t 0 economy of such railway power stations is a very bad one and seldom amounts to more than per cent.

According to the present invention these and other drawbacks are obviated by the provision of means whereby not only the peak load but also the excess energy available in power plants is utilized for the operation of railways. This is effected by transforming the excess energy, which is mostly waste nowadays, into storable energy, accumulated in hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water under pressure. I thus replace the electrical energy proper which is not capable of being stored in av satisfactory manner, by an energy carrier allowing storage under pressure, i. e.

in the smallest possible space.

Hydrogen can nowadays be produced in electrolytical cells under very high pressure, and it has been shown that the electrical energy required for the decomposition of water is the same whether the gas is produced under thousand atmospheres pressure or under atmospheric pressure. The very high pressure, which is thus obtained without any extra cost, renders the gas fit for storage in high in larger plants) are connect-ed with a direct PATENT OFFEE quantities, so that the power station can always operate at a constant peak load and can accumulate the energy thus consumed in the electrical system in the high pressure long distance pipe line leading to the places where the locomotive tenders are being charged. These pipe lines may be several hundred kilometres long and may consist of very narrow high pressure pipes, the interior of which entirely sutlices for storing the required quantities of hydrogen under high pressure.

My intention thus affords great improvements in the operation of railways by replacing coal by high pressure hydrogen, whereby the operation of locomotives is rendered simpler, more eflicient, and cleaner. The highgrade and expensive coal consumed in modern locomotives, and which develops smoke and soot, is dispensed with altogether, as well as the operations of coaling, stoking and slagging. 'In view of the greater ease of controlling the fire and in consequence of the very great percentage of calories available in the hydrogen, the steam production can be adapted to the consumption in a far better and quicker way.

The locomotives or motor cars may have either the form of steam or motor locomotives, the engines being either piston or turbine engines.

One of the many possible modifications embodying my invention is illustrated in the drawings diagrammatically by way of example.

Referring more particularly to the draw ings, 1 is a number of power engines, for instance water or steam turbines, forming part of an electrical power station, and thesev engines operate a number of generators 12 for the electrical long distance system 11, and further a number of direct current dynamos 2, the terminals 3 of which (or the bus bar current system 4;. The energy which is not consumed in this system 4 and in the alternating system 11 is supplied in the form of direct current to the battery 6 of pressure electrolizers connected in parallel to the system 4 and communicating with same over the line 5. The electrodes of the individual elcctrolizers may for instance be connected in series in the manner described in my patent of the United States No, 1,600,478. The individual elcctrolizers may also be connected in series. The gases which are collected separately in ea h electrolizer flow through main pipes 7, 8 into the pressure reservoirs 9 (for the oxygen) and 10 (for the hydrogen) to be tapped accordin to requirements. Before entering the reservoirs the gases are preferably deprived of all moisture by refrigeration or by other suitable means. The hydrogen may further be trecd from the last traces en by passing it at some suitable point of the pipe line system, such as 13, over incandescent parts or catalysts, which cause all traces of oxygen to combine with the hydrogen under formation of water, which may flow Jack into the electrolizers.

While the oxygen thus produced can be supplied. from the reservoir 9 by way of pipes ll to other points of consumption or can directly be lilled into steel bottles, the hydrogen is conducted from the reservoir 10 through the high pressure long distance line ll to the gasometers 15 provided in the locomotive sheds, which may be situated atdistances of several hundred kilometres from the power station. It it is not desired to liquely this hydrogen at the place of consumption it is stored in pressure resistive steel bottles, which may be carried along right on the locomotives or, it their weight should prove to be too high, on a separate tender 17. Instead of filling the steel cylinders 16 from the gasometers or tanks 15 they may also be lilled directly from the high pressure long distance pipes.

Inasmuch as the heating surface required for heating with hydrogen can be smaller and renders it possible to transport the heat of combustion onto the boiler water in a smaller space, than iii heating by means of coal, and in view of the fact that no grate and no lircbot: are required, th boi er can be made larger than was hitherto possiole. This fact as well as the more eliicient way of heating the water will result in a considerable increase of efiiciency of the locomotive. Now this eliiciency is limited by the weight of adhesion which must be increased if the boiler output shall be utilized fully. I am enabled to avoid such increase in weigl'rt of the locomotive by providing the tender carrying the pressin'e-resistive containers for the hydrogen with cylinders 18 and with driving gear, so that the locomotive cylinders may be made smaller and the boiler itself can be made still larger. The cylinders 18 provided on the tender may be supplied boiler or with the waste motive cylinders.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of 1th steam from the w steam from the loco construction shown and dema'ibed for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

I claim l. A railway system comprising lines carrying relatively heavy traliic and lines carryig less trailic, compr sing an electrical power plant and elec ric system capable of supplying electric current to t is said lines carrying comparatively heavy tra'l'iic, adequate for the peak loads imposed upon the electric system by the said relatively heavily loaded lines, a system of pressure electrolyzers, means to cause electrical energy in excess of the current load to be sent through said pressure electrolyzers so to generate hydrogen, a system of high pressure pipe lines provided from said electrolyzers to the said lines carrying less tra'liic and locomotives on said last named lines capable oi deriving their power from the said hydrogen delivered through said high pressure pipe lines.

2. A railway system comprising a power plant, an elcctrolyzer for the generation of hydrogen and oxygen from current developed by said powe' plant. lines carrying current from said power plant along a portion of said railway system, locomotives on said portion of said railway system adapted for the utilization of said electric current for their operation, a high pressure reservoir for hydrogen developed by said elcetrolyzer comprising pipe lines running to portions of said rail way system not supplied with electrical energy and locomotives on said last named portions capable of utilizing compressed hydrogen for their actuation.

3. A method of railway operation which comprises electrifying that portion of a railway system carrying heavy trailie and supplying it with means utilizing electric energy for the operation, providing the remainder of said lines with locomotives capa ble of using hydrogen for their actuation, es tablishing a power plant capable of delivering to the electrified portions of said railway adequate electrical energy for any peak load, causing the electrical energy in excess of the current load to electrolyze water into hydrogen and oxygen and piping said hydrogen under high pressure from said power plant to portions of the railway whereon said locomotives capable of using hydrogen have their actuation.

i. A method of railway operation compris ing generating electrical current continuously at a substantially even rate, conducting a portion of said electrical current to portions of: said railway system carrying the heaviest trallic, utilizing that portion of the current not required upon the electrified portions of the lines "for the development of hydrogen by electrolyzers, conducting said hydrogen to the remainder ot said lines and utilizing said hydrogen for the operation of the mobile power generators used for conveying of traflic on said last named lines.

5. A transportation system containing portions where distributing units run at frequent intervals and portions where distributing units run at less frequent intervals, electrically operated traction developers on said first named portions, means along said portions providing electrical current for the operation of said traction developers, means to provide electrical energy for said first named portions in excess ofthe maximum energy needed at any one time, electrolyzers adjacent said last named means, means to cause the electrical energy in excess of that required for the operation of said traction developers to be sent through said electrolyzers for the development of hydrogen and oxygen under pressure, high pressure pipes leading from said electrolyzers to said second named portions of said transportation system and traction developers on said second named portions capable of using hydrogen delivered throu h said pipes for their energy source.

6. power plant capable of delivering electrical energy at a substantially constant rate continuous an electrified railway system whose peak load is not greater than the power developed by said power plant, pressure electrolyzers adjacent said power plant, means causing the electrical energy in excess of the demand at any time of the electrified railway to pass through said pressure electrolyzers, a second railway system which is non-electrified and which has locomotives adapted to use hydrogen for their fuel, high pressure pipe lines running from said electrolyzers to points along said second non-electrified railway and storing means for said hydrogen carried by said locomotives.

7. A method for utilizing efficiently the power delivered by a constant power plant, comprising a railway system which is electrified, a railway system which is not electrified, electrolyzers adj acents said power plant, electrical conducting means from said power plant to said electrified railway system, means causing the electrical energy in excess of the current demand from the electrified railway system to pass through said electrolyzers, thereby producing oxygen and hydrogen, means for said electrolyzers to conduct hydrogen from said electrolyzers to the nonelectrified railwa system, means operating on said non-electrified railway system capable of storing and using hydrogen for their actuation.

8. A method for operating a power plant economically which comprises developing electrical energy at a continuous rate, converting a varying portion of said electrical energy into tractive power, converting the remainder of said electrical energy into potential energy in the form of hydrogen and oxygen, storing and conveying said hydro- 

